New leader for Rutland County Council as Lucy Stephenson takes over from Oliver Hemsley

A council which saw the collapse of its Tory core in the past week is pinning fresh hope on a ‘rainbow cabinet’.

The new group leading Rutland County Council, made up of representatives of political groups and unaligned members, was formed after council leader Oliver Hemsley quit the Conservative group on Thursday last week.

In his resignation statement he said the Conservative Government is not funding Rutland sufficiently, leaving the burden of high taxes on residents.